Ax Academy's second arena was so large that the wind whistled loudly whenever someone stepped through. This was where all the Apex Class's combat evaluations took place—where geniuses were crowned and the weak were crushed.
Today, it was Nagoto Hydorya and I's turn.
The entire class stood on the bleachers, looking down at me like a little rabbit entering a dragon's den.
I just stood in the middle of the arena, warming up my wrists, calm.
On the other side of the arena, Nagoto drew his super-chi sword—a black, translucent sword, the edge of the blade emitting a glassy-green toxic energy.
I frowned.
"Poison?"
Nagoto spun the sword around, her eyes cold.
"My super-chi is Hec-Tox. Damage over time, seeping into the veins. No one can withstand it for more than 10 seconds."
The entire class was in an uproar.
"She's definitely dead."
"Nagoto won't hold back."
"How the hell did Ijeckerl put it into the Apex…"
I breathed out.
He really didn't hold back. He was a proud genius.
The professor shouted:
"Begin!"
Nagoto rushed forward, so fast that the wind swirled into a small vortex.
The super-qi sword swept from below, starting with a "poison slash"—a technique that spread poison along the sword's path.
I didn't dodge.
I raised my hand, blocking the blade.
Ding!
The entire stadium held its breath.
Nagoto glared: "You're crazy—"
Crack.
The counter-attack ability in my body activated.
A silver line of light ran down my arm, passing through the blade straight towards Nagoto.
"G–?!"
He took a step back, his hand shaking.
The blade emitted a backward beam of light, as if it had been bounced back to its owner.
"Why… is the recoil—"
"I have the ability to counterattack." I shrugged. "The damage I take is only 2%."
Nagoto was speechless.
Someone in the class almost screamed.
"Reverse?!
"What the hell is this cheating ability?"
"Our class has a bug!!"
But Nagoto didn't give up.
He pressed his foot down on the ground, stomping hard—the ground cracked into small patterns.
"Okay."
His voice was as deep as a storm.
"I'll increase the force."
Green poisonous gas drifted around him, then merged into the sword.
The air became heavy, making it hard to breathe.
Nagoto charged again, faster, stronger. The sword left dozens of poisonous gas lines.
I dodged a few times, but not because I was afraid.
But because…
I wanted to see the current limits of this 14-year-old body.
The holy power had not yet fully recovered, but the counterattack still worked normally.
Nagoto stabbed straight into my shoulder.
The sword cut my skin, and the poison seeped in.
I heard the professor shout:
"Stop—!"
But the moment the poison touched my blood…
It bounced back.
I didn't feel any pain.
It didn't numb.
Just a slight stinging sensation like a prickly prick.
As for Nagoto—
"—HUGH!"
He flew back nearly three meters, clutching his arm.
Green smoke billowed around him as if he had been poisoned himself.
The students panicked.
"Wait, what the—?"
"Nagoto was poisoned?!"
"He's never been injured like that before!"
I looked at the wound on my shoulder.
Just a little blood.
The skin was almost closed over.
Nagoto pressed his hands against the ground, breathing heavily.
His deep blue eyes flashed with surprise… then annoyance.
"You… even countered my poison?"
"Yeah."
"But… this poison attacks the nervous system. There's no way it could be repelled!"
"I don't know how to explain it."
I chuckled. "It simply bounced back at the person who did the damage. You used poison on me, and it came back to bite you."
Nagoto stood up, lips pursed.
"Stop joking around. I wasn't hurt because 'I attacked you'. The counterattack ability doesn't work like—"
He stepped towards me, but staggered.
I held out my hand to block it.
He glared: "Don't touch—"
"Why don't you touch? You're clearly hurt."
Nagoto brushed my hand away, but this time he didn't shake it off as hard as before.
He looked at the wound on his own hand—a wound that was not caused by him at all, but copied from where I was slashed.
"This… this is 98% of my damage?"
His voice trembled slightly.
I nodded.
"Yes. I took 2%, you took 98%."
The whole class was in an uproar.
"CHEATING!"
"Impossible!!"
"Did someone call Ijeckerl!"
The professor didn't intervene, but looked at Nagoto and me for a long time, as if evaluating something extremely rare.
Nagoto gritted his teeth.
His strength was not weak. If the 98% chance of returning to him… it would be many times more painful than what I was feeling.
He held his arms, breathing heavily, but still tried to keep his composure.
"You…"
He looked at me, his eyes no longer disdainful.
But wary.
And a little—a little curious that he didn't want to admit.
"…What are you, Deuwyn?"
I smiled, turning my shoulder slightly to see if the wound had healed.
"I'm someone who died once and then came back to life.
That's all."
Nagoto clenched his fists, gritting his teeth:
"We… aren't done yet."
I raised my head: "So are we going to continue?"
"No." Nagoto shook his head. "If I continue, I'll be the one to die first."
The whole class burst into laughter, and the professor said loudly:
"Result: Deuwyn won because the opponent couldn't continue the fight. Both of us need to be re-examined in the medical room."
Nagoto turned his head, not looking at me anymore.
But as he walked, he whispered just enough for me to hear:
"On the first day, you won because of your ability.
On the next day, I will win with my strength."
I shrugged.
"Wait and see."
…But at that moment, Nagoto touched my hand to avoid falling again because of the poison rebound.
And—slap!
The counterattack activated again.
I was fine.
He was hurt again.
"Wait—! I just touched it lightly?!"
I blinked innocently.
"My ability is a little sensitive to attacks…"
"It wasn't an attack!!"
"My body just thought so."
Class:
"HA HA HA!!"
Nagoto Hydorya—the genius, the top of the Apex class—was in so much pain that he had to put his knees on the ground, while I stood there looking unharmed.
I bent down and patted his shoulder.
"Sorry. It's my ability."
Nagoto gritted his teeth:
"Get away from me. Now. Immediately."
I backed away, chuckling softly.
Exactly the type of person Ijeckerl used to be.
Arrogant, strong, annoying…
But very interesting.